Recap of the Season Premiere of The Gilded Age: Returning to Fifth Avenue

I will be forthright. I completely lost track of everyone's names. This program has such a large cast, and it has been a very long time since season one. Marian's name seemed to be "Miriam" to me. I was incredibly overconfident. Furthermore, the show impolitely skips over introducing each character's identity and current activity in a "where are they now" segment a la Animal House. I guess I'll give it a try.

Again, this show's ensemble size is excessively ambitious, making it hard to emotionally connect with any one story line. As a result, it's tough to keep up with everyone. Very rapidly, though: Agnes van Rhijn and Ada Brook, played by Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon, had been going about their everyday lives. The secret existence that Marian (not Miriam) leads is limited to Thursdays. By obtaining a box at the famed opera venue in New York City, the Academy of Music, Bertha Russell is attempting to Get Into Society. George, her spouse, is still the breadwinner and has developed a newfound interest in union busting. it woman, who it appeared he might maybe bang, isn't visible, but it doesn't imply she's not there. Oscar, Agnes's son, is still gay and hopes to wed Gladys, Bertha and George's daughter. Tom Raikes was boring, so now that he's gone, I hope we never see him again.

I wish this episode was only on Peggy and her family, since they truly deserve a paragraph of their own. At the conclusion of the first season, we learned that Peggy's son was alive and living with an adoptive family, contrary to what she had been told. Her mother, Dorothy, is enraged with her father, Arthur, for lying to her in order to keep this a secret. Just how one would! In addition, I secretly hoped that the writers of The Gilded Age would read my reviews of the previous season and decide to give Denée Benton and Audra McDonald a duet right away. After all, what else are you doing with your cast? Why wouldn't you provide us with a musical EVENT instead of hiring all these famous Broadway performers? You invite outside guests to your musical concerts when you DO have them? Why?

Recall that there were three candidates and seven Tony winners in just one episode alone; Denée Benton is the one who, regrettably, ought to have won (sorry to Bette Midler's Hello, Dolly!). We don't care about this show, so please just make a musical episode.

So here we are in the second season. The sole purpose of Easter Sunday is to enable us to view everyone's HATS. I'm not grumbling. A hat worn by Carrie Coon! Hat-wearing Taissa Farmiga! I suppose some of the men are also sporting headwear. I adore Gladys' blue ensemble, which includes a matching blue parasol that she lifts high above her like a member of The Pirates of Penzance's ladies chorus. Peggy and her parents' grief-stricken attire contrasts with these vibrant Easter outfits as they make their way to Philadelphia. How come? For the boy who, as Peggy had learned with great excitement, was alive, is now deceased. Yes, you are correct. Peggy is attending her son's funeral; her 3-year-old son passed away from scarlet fever. Okay, so it's a lot for the height of the season. At least it provides some good onscreen emotion for some of the show's top actresses (Audra McDonald and Denée Benton, once again).

Peggy's mother is still very upset with her husband, who at last feels guilty for taking his daughter's child in secret, giving him away, and informing her that the child has passed away. Whoa, Mr. Whoa. I would like to say, "Well, it was 1883, so obviously," but at the time, people were unaware that it was unethical to abduct kids and then lie about it. Apart from Peggy asking Marian if she can return to Agnes and Ada's, that's about all we see from them in this episode. Now let's observe what other people are doing.

Though not quite as obviously thirsty as Cady was with Regina George, Bertha is currently "in" with Mrs. Astor in a similar way. Bertha will therefore not be able to purchase a box at the opera, but Mrs. Astor will still acknowledge her at church and at her gatherings. Her events, where Mrs. Astor dresses in the most gorgeous gowns. I'm sorry again; I'm not a fashion historian at all. As I write this review, I'm sporting a big purple sweater that reads, "Schrute Farms Bed and Breakfast." The little information I have about the Astor ladies is that they are really entertaining and wear outfits that are electric blue and pink. It's similar to when Warner responds, "Black ones," to Elle's question about the shoes she's wearing. I am that. I'm sorry.